Time and Time Again
by essence of your spark
Summary: The next story in the Athena Maxwell series. Please read that story before, or else you will spoil the whole series! Follow Athena through her 4th year. Both James and Athena are changing and the story becomes darker. Tension builds between everyone and something happens that changes time forever. James/OC   Athena  COMPLETE! LOOK FOR THE NEXT STORY: RUN.
1. How can you do this to me?

_I'm gonna marry the night_

_I won't give up on my life_

_I'm a warrior queen_

_Live passionately tonight_

"ATHENA" my mum screamed over my music. It was a few days until I was supposed to leave for Hogwarts. Turning the music down, I tossed my hair over my shoulder. It was really getting way too long, already halfway down torso.

"Yeah, what's going on?" I said lazily.

"Are you all packed? Also, you have a visitor!" I was informed. Stepping aside, my mother revealed James. Standing up, I ran to hug him.

"Hey Theen, how're you?" he asked me. We had seen each other in the middle of the summer when my mum and I stayed over at the burrow.

"I'm okay, just tired of packing. There is just so much stuff that we have to get!" I complained. Laughing James kissed my head. Realizing my mum was still standing there; I motioned for her to leave.

"Do you two want anything to eat or drink?" she asked right before turning around.

"Can I have some water please? Also, do you by any chance have anything I could eat for lunch? I didn't exactly eat before my dad brought me here" James blushed.

"Sure thing James, just come down when you're ready, and no funny business you two" my mum pointed her finger and laughed. Saluting my mum, James turned around and plopped himself down on my purple beanbag chair.

"So has your mum told you anything yet?" he questioned.

"Not yet, but I plan on getting to it today. Right before you showed up!" I sat down next to him on the chair. Wrapping his arms around me, I felt his hair tickling my face.

"Well excuse me for wanting to visit my girlfriend" he kissed me on the cheek. I loved being able to say that he was my boyfriend. I had a long conversation with Tess about this. She didn't mind, as long as we kept it on the down low around her. I didn't mind that, because I didn't want this relationship to be too public.

"ATHENA, JAMES, COME DOWNSTAIRS FOR SOME LUNCH" we heard my mum call from downstairs. It was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon and I was beyond starving from not eating breakfast. Rushing down the stairs, I saw 2 grilled cheese sandwiches waiting for James and I; picking the sandwich up, James inspected it thoroughly.

"You have never seen a grilled cheese before? For real?" I asked. Shaking his head I proceeded to hitting him on the arm. "I can't believe it! This is like, the best creation on earth. This is a tragedy!" I informed him. The rest of our day, we spent in the kitchen educating James on all the wonders of muggle food.

* * *

><p>It had been 48 hours since James left, and I still hadn't gotten any information out of my mother. I decided it was time for action, only because I was leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow.<p>

"Mum, there is something we need to talk about. I know you have been avoiding this all summer but I won't go to Hogwarts without knowing" I found her sitting in her study looking over some papers. There were things putting themselves into piles, and with a flick of her wand everything stopped moving.

"Athena, can we please do this later?" she sighed.

"No! It's not fair, I've waited all summer!"

"Athena, we are not going to do this right now. Maybe around Christmas okay?"

"Mum, this is so unfair. How can you do this to me?" my voice was hoarse.

"I'm sorry Athena," she said. With that, I walked out of the room more frustrated than I had ever felt before.

**A/N: So if you have read the 1****st**** story in the series thank you! If you haven't, shame on you for not reading it because I just gave a whole lot of my hard work away. I hope you like it, and please review! Until next time :)**


	2. Mondays! Oh the joy they bring

No matter how much I tried to be, I couldn't be mad at my mother. As we entered platform 9 ¾ I turned to face my mum, who seemed to have a hard time letting me go.

"Mum, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I am going to miss you a lot you know!" I smiled. Without saying anything, my mother pulled me into a hug. I knew everything was okay. In the deep pits of my stomach, I still had that twinge of frustration. It built up more and more each day from the lack of information. The scarlet steam engine loomed over me and once more I found myself looking for a compartment. Except this time I was looking for a certain someone. Finally finding James, I slid the door open and sat down next to him.

"Hey everyone! How was your summer?" I asked. Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say because Albus and Rose just looked at me icily. Fred smiled meekly, I assumed he was caught between whatever was going on. I had yet to find out what Rose was doing or more importantly whom she was seeing in the Room of Requirement last year, and I was determined to find out.

"ANYTHING FROM THE TROLLEY? ANYTHING FROM THE TROLLEY?" I heard the trolley woman calling from the isle. Jumping up, I handed her two sickles and a Knut for some cauldron cakes and chocolate frogs. Dropping some on the seat next to me, I sat down next to James ready to enjoy my monstrous amount of candy, and the stony silence that followed after.

…

Flopping down in my four-poster bed after the feast was a dream come true. All I wanted to do was lie down and sleep for the rest of eternity. Looking over at Mabel's bed, I noticed that she wasn't there. Wondering where Rose was, I realized I didn't see her until after the feast. Never coming back to the common room to hang out with me like she usually does. Walking downstairs, I exited the common room and retraced my steps back to the Great Hall.

"Ms. Maxwell, what are you doing down here? The feast ended quite some time ago!" I heard the voice of Professor Longbottom, who was taking the place of Professor Sprout and was now the head of the Gryffindor house.

"Oh, I was looking for my friend. I guess she isn't here so I'll be on my way" I replied nervously. I didn't really know Longbottom that well; apparently he was a friend of Harry's and fought in the war.

"Not so fast Ms. Maxwell, I was wondering, have you by any chance seen Professor Potter around?" I released my breath, thinking that I was going to get in trouble. After telling him no and running away as fast as I could, I felt myself collide with a mass of red hair.

"Rose! What? What are you doing here?" I asked breathlessly.

"Nothing. What are you doing?"

"Looking for you of course!"

"Why?"

"Because you weren't in the common room," was where our conversation ended. We walked back to the common room in silence, I feared that if I spoke it would probably come out sounding accusatory; and the last thing I needed was Rose to be upset at me. It was around 9:00pm and there were quite a few people enjoying themselves around the common room. As usual, there were people snogging in the corners, some playing wizards chess and some were reading. Sitting down on the couch, I picked up a book that I had brought from home called _1,033 Reasons to Smile._ Opening to the page I was at, I read "_Checking the calendar on Friday and realizing that Monday is a holiday. Sweet relief."_ I smiled at this because Monday was most definitely NOT a holiday. It was going to be the start of a new school year, drama and boys and probably more work than my brain could hold.

"EVERYBODY GET TO YOUR DORMS, IT IS TIME TO GO TO SLEEP. YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE LATE FOR YOUR FIRST CLASS TOMORROW" a prefect bellowed. Sighing, I hauled myself upstairs and wrapped my arms around Tess, giving her a hug. We hadn't seen each other all summer, unlike the Potter's and Weasley's whom I saw once we had been owling back and forth like crazy.

"Guys, can we just go to sleep? I'm so tired" Mabel asked. Snickering, I turned around to lie down in my bed, bracing myself for the heaviness tomorrow could bring.

…..

"Athena, we are going to count to three or else I will use the Aguamenti charm on you and I can guarantee you will not be happy" I heard Tess' voice penetrating through the sleep in which I so desperately needed.

"Noooom. 'ne more minnnnnnnnnn" I slurred.

"I'm sorry Athena, but you've left me no choice" I heard Tess draw her wand. Jumping out of my bed, I rolled onto the floor and banged my foot on the nighstand. "Now that you are awake, can you please _hurry up_?" Tess whined. Speed dressing, we ran down to the Great Hall and I took my seat next to James.

"Morning sleepy, how are you doing?" James mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"Not good" I retorted and buried my head in his shoulder, closing my eyes trying to catch a few more seconds of sleep. Shoveling some toast into my mouth, I made my way towards D.A.D.A., which just so happened to be my first class of the day. Thank god Harry was still teaching it otherwise I might have died.

"Welcome back everyone, to a new year at Hogwarts! I trust you bought the Defense book that was supposed to be purchased in Diagon Alley before the beginning of the term. Now, this year we are going to start off with Time Turners. Can anybody tell me what they are and what the use of one is?" Harry questioned. Turning to the first few pages in my book, I noticed a starred section that read: _During the battle in the department of mysteries (1996) almost every time turner was destroyed or damaged beyond repair._ Afterraising my hand almost immediately, Harry called on me.

"Professor, it says here that all of the time turners were damaged beyond repair or destroyed in the battle of the department of mysteries. Does that mean that there are no working time turners anymore?" I questioned. This nagged me, how could there be not _one_ working time turner anymore.

"Very good question Ms. Maxwell. You see, just because the turners in the department of mysteries was destroyed, it doesn't mean that some people were not still in possession of turners. My friend Hermione Granger possessed a time turner in her 3rd year to help her manage all of her classes. They are working on restoring some of the turners because they are very valuable. As we continue on through this unit, I will probably bring a few in for learning purposes. No, we will not be able to use them, Mr. Thomas! Although, you will see what it looks like in person," he finished. I glared at Riley for even asking such a stupid question. What the hell would he want a time turner for? To go back and make sure we never broke up. Like that would ever happen.

"Psst, Athena!" James whispered.

"What?"

"Don't you think it would be cool to go back in time?" he asked.

"No." was my response. Although, secretly deep down I wished I could go back in time to meet my father. I knew it would never happen, and that it would probably change the future too much.

"Why not?" he pestered. I really wish we could stay off of this conversation and just focus on class.

"Ms. Maxwell, Mr. Potter, is there something that you would like to share with the class?" Harry questioned us.

"No, sorry sir" I responded quickly before sending a quick glare at James. We learned a little more about time turners, and how they were made. We also were told that if we ever found one, that we should never touch it because it could prove possibly dangerous. Grabbing my hand, James and I walked out of the classroom and towards Potions. Slughorn seemed to be getting older and older with every day, but I still found his class enjoyable…even if I did suck at Potions. We had to brew the draught of living death, and somehow I had mixed up the asphodel and valerian roots, leaving my potion at the color of mud.

"Ms. Maxwell, do try to remember that the asphodel goes in before the valerian roots! Not vice versa!" Slughorn said before taking a vial of my potion and vanishing the rest. Slipping out of Potions as quickly as I came, I made my way to the fourth floor corridor to get to History of Magic when I saw a streak of red hair. What was Rose doing here? She had Ancient Runes next, not History of Magic! Turning the corner I saw Rose and well… Scorpius Malfoy.

**A/N: I know, I know, this chapter was just a filler. If you really paid attention you would notice where I am going with the *****cough, cough* time turner lesson. Everything will make sense soon. Now, what is Rose doing seeing Scorpius Malfoy? Please review, and thank you to everyone who read the first story before this one! It means a lot. I promise everything will get better, please hang in there! Reviewing makes my day. **


	3. Stealing

"Rose? Scorpius? Um, hi!" I was so confused. Whirling around, I saw the sheepish grin that was plastered across her face. I finally understood, of course! Scorpius was the one she had been going to see all this time! They were together!

"Oh, my gosh! Rose you didn't tell me? I can't believe you!" I joked. The grin faded from her face.

"Are you mad?" she asked.

"Of course not! That is so cute, you guys are seriously adorable," I teased. Scorpius turned a shade of pink while Rose's face was about the color of her hair.

"Well, I'd best be off. Binns is going to miss me," I said grimly. Racing down the corridor, I entered the room just in time for the lecture. Sliding into the seat next to James, I grabbed a pencil.

"Why do you bother?" he whispered.

"Because, I don't want to fail!" was my retort before turning back to Binns, who had gone on some rant about Goblins and Dragons.

* * *

><p>I was quietly minding my own business when James burst into the common room.<p>

"Athena, I have something to show you. Come here!" Sighing, I slowly rose from the couch and walked over to the side of the room. Pulling something out of his pocket, I saw no… It couldn't be! It was a time turner, sitting in James' hands.

"Wh-what are you doing with that? James, you need to put that back! You could get in huge trouble!" I said hoarsely.

"I know. I nicked it from Dad" he grinned. After admiring it some more, I pushed his hand away.

"James, you seriously need to take it back. Please!" Shaking his head, he moved the hand with the turner closer to me. I took a step back; those things were starting to scare me. We had been learning about them all week. They could be quite dangerous if broken.

"I'm going to tell Harry, right now. You're going to get in so much trouble" I said, pushing the door of the common room open, I heard James' footsteps, as he ran after me.

"But you can't tell him, he'll just make me give it back! I don't think it even works anymore! Look, I'll turn it back a minute and we'll see if I go anywhere" he said. Before I could stop him, he flipped the turner back a minute. I stood there, but nothing happened. "See! Nothing is going to happen! It's broken" he assured me. Something about that turner made me feel uneasy, why I didn't know.

"I'm going to tell him, and you can't stop me." I started running towards Harry's office, with James trailing behind me.

"Wait, Athena! You can't do this. Please! I'll put it back!" he huffed. Reaching the door, I pulled it open and saw Harry sitting there doing some paperwork.

I felt James stop behind me, and reach out to grab my hand.

"Professor" was the last thing I said before I blacked out.

**A/N: Wow, I know. INSANELY short chapter. There is a reason for a short chapter, because it leads into a very, very, very long chapter. This story is about to get really interesting. So hang in there until the next chapter. Please review! It makes my day! Until next time :)**


	4. Shocking revelations

As I awoke, I saw a strange woman standing next to me.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" I muttered, trying to not sound rude. Looking to my left I saw James who was sleeping.

"Dear, my question was the same for you!" she responded. I was now utterly confused, rubbing my eyes I took a closer look at the woman. I had never seen her in my life. What happened to Madame Fincher?

"What?" I said. She looked at me suspiciously. Telling me to lay back down, the strange woman ran out of the room.

"James, James, JAMES!" I whisper-shouted. Trying to wake his sleeping form. Sitting straight up, he looked at me and ran his hand through the messy black hair atop his head.

"Athena, what happened?" he asked me. To be honest, I didn't quite know what happened. Shrugging I hopped off of the bed, and started to pace back and forth.

"James, why are we in the hospital wing?" I asked him.

"I dunno, I blacked out too. I just remember seeing you about to say something to dad," he muttered. Remembering that I had to go tell Harry about the time turner, I marched over to the doors of the hospital wing and pulled it open, only to come face to face with a man that I've only seen on chocolate frog cards. Stumbling backwards, I ran over to James. Taking his hand, I slapped my face with it, hoping to wake up from this awful nightmare.

"Hello, my name is Professor Dumbledore. Now who might you two be?" the old man spoke. My fears had been confirmed and now I was somehow standing in front of a man who was supposed to be well… dead.

* * *

><p>Harry stared blankly at the spot where James and Athena had disappeared. What just happened? Drawing his wand, he walked over to the doorway. There was something shiny that caught his eye and he bent down to investigate. It was a broken time turner; the glass and sand were splayed in a little pile.<p>

"No. No, no, no, this cannot be happening," Harry whispered. Running to the fireplace, he grabbed a handful of floo powder and apparated back home, wondering how to explain this to Ginny.

* * *

><p>"Professor Du-Dum-Dumbledore?" I stuttered.<p>

"Correct! That is me, but who are you?" he motioned to James and I.

"Where are we?" I asked, wanting to avoid the question. If something was truly wrong, then I didn't want to say anything. I glanced over to James, who was gaping at Dumbledore.

"What year do you think we are in?" the strange woman who was standing over me when I woke up asked us.

"2020" James replied blankly.

"Precisely…not. It is 1997" was the reply we received. I felt dizzy, and my vision was getting blurrier.

"What do you mean; we're not in 2020" I growled through gritted teeth.

"Oh crap. This might be my fault" James muttered.

"I told you that time turner was no good! You had to go take it didn't you!" I was getting angry. "We aren't in 2020 anymore; we are in Harry, Hermione and Ron's 6th year at Hogwarts! We could completely alter the future! Don't say anything," I hissed. In the corner of my eye I saw Dumbledore watching our spat and he looked quite amused.

"Professor, what are we going to do?" James cried.

"First I need to know your names" was the immediate response. My first thought was that we shouldn't say anything but then again we had to. It's not like Dumbledore wouldn't know if we were lying.

"The names James Sirius Potter" I heard the black haired git say next to me.

"Athena Maxwell" I mumbled.

"Well then! Now that we have got that established, why don't we take a trip to my office? Pinching James for his stupidity we trudged through the halls to Dumbledore's office. I still didn't understand how this was possible. Looking around the castle, I noted that it didn't look much different. Some paintings were there that I hadn't seen before. Coming up to a stone gargoyle, Dumbledore recited something that I heard to be 'lemon drop." Trudging up the stairs, James and I entered the room to find two other adults upstairs. Looking up carefully I gasped.

"Headmistress McGonagall!" was my first reaction. I silently kicked myself for saying that. James was looking at the other man with a weird expression on his face.

"Well then. Severus, Minerva, this is James Potter and Athena Maxwell. This is Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore introduced us.

"The Potter boy reproduced. How unfortunate" Snape muttered. I saw James' eyes flash. Reaching out, I grabbed his hand trying to signal that he shouldn't try anything.

"How in the world did the two of you end up here? You are obviously from the future based on the information Albus said you have given us," McGonagall said gently. I was taken aback. The Professor I knew would have spoken to us in a stern voice; most likely reprimanding us for something we got detention for.

"That's correct Professor" I heard James say. I saw this Snape man looking at James icily.

"What I would like to know is how did you get here?" Snape said insolently.

"Well you see sir, I had a time turner. It was broken and I nicked it from my dad. I wanted to show Athena. I don't know what happened; because we turned it back one minute and absolutely nothing changed-

-Then I was going to run upstairs to tell Harry about the turner, when I opened the door I blacked out-

…I was trying to grab Athena and the turner slipped out of my hands" we had interrupted each other quite a few times while telling the story. Dumbledore had an amused expression on his face.

"I can guarantee he is Potters son because he has his knack for stealing things… and breaking things," Snape said distastefully. I wanted to punch him for saying that. Obviously Harry was not in Snape's favour.

"Do you by any chance have any part of the turner with you? I can see you have brought some sand, which could help us immensely" Dumbledore interrupted before the conversation could go any further. For the first time since I had left 2020, I looked down at my robes. There was a slight grey tinge to them and as I looked closer I realized it was the sand from the time turner. James also had some on his robes, but much less then I did. After flourishing his wand the sand flew into a vial sitting on Dumbledore's desk.

"Whilst you are here you two will need to attend classes. Mr. Potter, I assume you are supposed to be taking your O.W.L.s this year. Ms. Maxwell, you will be placed in the 5th year classes as well, seeing as you are from the future I suspect you know more than we see," he winked. It was true. Over the summer I had done a lot of studying in order to catch up on my missed years. Most of the magic came easily to me so doing it wasn't that bad. Plus I wouldn't have to be separated from James; we would be taking classes together thank god.

"Ms. Maxwell, you will be going by the name of Annie Carter. Mr. Potter, you will go by the name of Parker Anderson. I don't think either of you need a disguise. Only if people look closely will they notice that you are Harry's son. It's just the hair and face. Although you should be fine; and the cover story will be that your parents asked me to keep you at Hogwarts whilst they are away" he smiled.

"What houses are you in?" McGonagall questioned as we were nodding.

"Gryffindor" was said instantaneously. I saw Snape smirk. Shooting him a glare, I walked over to James and slipped my hand into his.

"Minerva, take them back to Gryffindor Tower and get them sleeping arrangements," Dumbledore told her. Motioning for us to follow, we walked through the hallways until we came to the fat lady. _Pretentious toads_ was the password and we walked into the all-to-familiar common room. It was around the time that everyone hung out after dinner so the common room was quite full.

"Potter, Weasleys, Ms. Granger" McGonagall called out. As they stood up, I saw young Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny make their way over to us. James was squeezing my hand so tight that I thought he would crush my bones. I understood though, I would have been so nervous to my mum when she was young, when she didn't know who I was or that I related to her.

"Everyone, this is Annie Carter and Parker Anderson. I trust you will be welcoming and accommodating seeing as they will be rooming with you," McGonagall said tersely. Turning around, she exited the common room leaving us alone with them.

"Hello! I'm Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Harry," they said as each one introduced themselves. Of course we already knew but pretended we didn't. Ginny glanced down at my hand in James' and I instantly pulled it out. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. I felt horrible because James looked at me puzzled and replaced my hand within his. I could feel the uncertainty and questioning radiating off of the four teens standing in front of us, and it was getting unbearable.

"So, why don't we go sit down and you can tell us a bit about yourselves!" Hermione suggested. Sitting down on the plush couch, we started to talk making up our past before it had even started.

"Well our parents are good friends and they decided that they needed to send us to Hogwarts for a bit. We're not related at all. Parker and I have sort of been together for a few months now" I started.

"Sort of!" James joked. I punched him in the arm very lightly. "That's really it, At-Annie covered most of it" James swallowed. I wasn't sure if anybody else heard the mistake he made when saying my name, but I was well aware of it.

"So tell us about you guys!" I encouraged, determined to keep the subject off of us for as long as possible.

Ginny opened her mouth and started talking about their lives. James and I just nodded and smiled. Why?

Because we'd heard it all before.

**A/N: Okay, that was a ton of information to process in one chapter! I hope you enjoy. It was a pretty long chapter, just like I promised. I really had to do some research about the characters and years, I hope it's almost all accurate! So here is where it gets a bit confusing. PLEASE READ THIS IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE STORY. **

**When someone says James' name it is always going to be written as Parker. **

**When Athena is thinking or talking to James in private she will call him James. **

**The same thing goes for Athena. **

**Also, in this story I might be switching point of views sometimes. It has to be done in order to understand the story, which is going to get quite complicated. Don't worry I'll have these little authors notes to explain. Please review and tell me what you think! Sorry for not updating in so long either! Until next time :)**


	5. Harry Potter

Potter Manor

Year: 2020

5:15 pm

Harry Potter

_I stumbled through the fireplace and found Ginny sitting on the couch reading. _

"_Ginny, they're gone. He's gone" I huffed. She looked up very concerned. _

"_Harry, who's gone and where did they go?" she asked me. Catching my breath, I tore my coat off and threw it on top of the kitchen table. _

"_Athena came in to tell me something and then James, he ran up behind her and then they disappeared. Literally right before my eyes," I explained to her. _

"_Do you know why? What was she going to tell you?" I heard my wife's voice raise an octave. _

"_I don't know Gin. All she said was 'Professor' and then disappeared. After they vanished I inspected the area and found a broken time turner. I suspect that Athena was going to tell me James took a time turner from me. It was supposedly a broken one. This is the reason I didn't give any of them a chance to hold a turner; it was only to look!" I saw Ginny's finally register what had happened. _

"_Harry, we'll find them. Oh god I hope they're okay. I really do."_

**A/N: Sad chapter. The Potter's realize their eldest son is missing. **

**Reviews and story alerts make my day!**


	6. Perspective

My life in 1996 wasn't going as planned. It was so weird to be stuck in classes with people I didn't know. I also officially hated Snape. He seemed to find every reason to pick on James; it pissed me off beyond belief.

"I don't see why my dad would name Albus after that git. Snape is just a greasy slime ball," he muttered to me as we walked away from Potions. I had to admit, his hair was pretty greasy.

"I don't know, didn't you say that he told you that Snape was one of the bravest men he ever knew or something?" I asked. Honestly, Snape seemed like an annoying prat to me. Muttering something else, I saw a mass of hair walking towards me. _Hermione. _I could recognize that girl anywhere.

"Hey Hermione, what's up?" I heard James say. Every time James talked I saw Hermione do a double take (or a double listen, whatever you want to say).

"Well, I was just on my way to the library when I spotted Ronald with that girl Lavender Brown. She is just atrocious if you ask me!" Hermione huffed. Deep inside I knew I shouldn't say anything but for some reason I did.

"It's all going to work out, don't worry!" I patted her arm. Offering me a wry smile the girl walked off.

"Don't say anything eh Ms. Bossy pants? Seems to me like you were dropping hints there!" James nudged me. Shoving him into the common room, I fell onto the couch and didn't move for a good 5 minutes. Falling asleep was the thing I wanted to do the most although I already had acquired a massive amount of homework. I always thought traveling back in time would mean no homework but that didn't turn out as planned. Glancing at the clock I saw it was 7:45, meaning I had three hours to do my work. Pulling out my Potions notebook, I started the long and hard task of memorizing Potions.

…

"_Albus, have you seen Athena at all today?" Rose questioned as they sat down for breakfast. _

"_No why would I? She spends a lot of time with you? I haven't seen James either so I assume they are together" was the response that followed. Looking around the dining hall with a worried expression Rose whispered something urgently to Albus and the two sat there, looking around. Concern etched upon their faces looking for their friends._

…

It was 2:00am when I woke up. Sitting up in my bed I saw the sleeping figures of Hermione and Ginny in the two beds near mine. Tiptoeing across the room, I silently slipped through the door. Making my way down the stairs I saw a figure sitting on the couch. Pinning myself against the wall, I peeked from behind the wall. The recognizable mass of hair poked out from behind the couch, _James_ I though.

"James?" I whispered. He turned around and I did not expect to see Harry's face.

"Annie? Who's James?" he responded bluntly. Creeping out from behind the wall I sat down on an armchair.

Avoiding the question "What are you doing up so late? Have you even slept at all?" I asked him. Looking down at his hands, Harry shook his head. I noticed he had a book under his feet. "There is a book under your foot, I'll grab it," I bent down to pick up the book but instead Harry snatched it.

"It's nothing. Just a Potions book," he muttered. Grabbing the book out of his hands I started to look through it. There were things scrawled around inside the book. Instructions crossed out, spells written in the margins and in the front written in black ink were words that said _Property of the Half-Blood Prince._

"Who's the Half-Blood Prince?" I questioned for the millionth time in the 5 minutes I had been talking to him.

"Look, I don't know okay! It was just written in this book. Hermione thinks I should turn it in. I don't want to though, it has helped me so much," he confided. I was taken aback at the fact that Hermione wanted to return the book. It wasn't necessarily cheating.

"I'm sorry" was all I could produce. Looking at me intensely he responded with a 'that's okay' and left. Right now I felt more alone than ever and the worst thing was that there was nothing I could do about it.

…

"_Albus, did you see James at all yesterday? Have you seen him today?" Rose asked frantically._

_Albus just shook his head. _

**A/N: OH MY GOSH I AM SO SORRY EVERYONE! I have not updated in a huge amount of time due to school and being super busy with an insane amount of homework and quizzes/tests. I hope you enjoy this chapter; it just gives a little insight to the characters and also how Rose and Albus are feeling. I promise I have another chapter coming up soon! Please review it makes my day!**


	7. It'll All Be Fine

It happened a few days ago and I hadn't said anything. Nothing had come out of my mouth. Nothing. Why I didn't know. It was a mystery. I should say something even though it could cost me a lot.

_***FLASHBACK***_

_I was wandering down the corridor when I saw a mass of blonde hair turn a corner. It was Draco Malfoy and I knew it. Only Malfoy's had that bleach blonde hair. My curiosity kicked in and I completely abandoned any thoughts of getting to my previous destination. I silently followed a few paces behind Draco until we came to a blank wall. I didn't realize what floor we were on until I saw the appearance of a door. It was the seventh floor; the room of requirement is located there. I saw him look around to make sure nobody was there. At that point I squeezed my body against the wall. Opening the door, he stepped in there and I ran to the door before it could disappear. He disappeared inside the room so I ran after Draco. Hiding behind a tower of stuff I watched him inspect a cabinet. After about 5 minutes he turned around to go. Creeping backwards as to not be seen I tripped over something creating a large crash. Looking up I saw Draco Malfoy standing over me with his wand pointed at my chest._

"_What are you doing? How did you get in here?" he seethed. _

"_I followed you. Please, don't do anything, I promise you it won't do any good" I said slowly. _

"_Why shouldn't I? You're obviously going to tell that Parker boy. Or should I say James?" Isn't that right __**Athena**__?" He snickered. My breath caught in my throat. How did he know about us? This wasn't possible, it just couldn't be happening. _

"_H-how do you know?" I choked. Grinning he lowered his wand and offered me his hand. Taking it, I was pulled off the floor with an extensive amount of force._

"_I have good ears Athena. Nothing really escapes me." He snickered. _

"_Please, I'm begging you. This could ruin James' future and possibly mine. Please do not tell just yet," I pleaded. It seemed so pointless. Pleading with __**Draco Malfoy**__ was probably far from possible._

"_Fine. But you cannot tell anybody that you saw me or followed me here. Otherwise there are going to be huge consequences for both of us."_

_***END FLASHBACK***_

I wanted to run and tell James, but I knew that the second he found out he would probably get upset and start questioning me. I didn't know what Draco meant when he said that there would be serious consequences for both of us. What could possibly happen besides us messing up the future? Wasn't there some spell or something for that? Frustrated I left the common room and started to Dumbledore's office.

"Going somewhere?" I froze in my tracks upon hearing Draco Malfoy's voice.

"No" I gulped. I felt so small compared to him. Looking more closely I saw deep purple circles under his eyes. They stood out from his pale complexion.

"That's what I thought 'Annie'" he smirked.

"Draco, are you okay?" the words flew out of my mouth before I knew it.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he growled at me.

"I-never mind. Sorry," I squirmed under his intense stare.

"OY! MALFOY! LEAVE HER ALONE!" James' voice blared down the corridor. Turning to face James, I felt Draco squeeze my arm in a warning gesture.

"Parker don't worry its fine, we were just having… uh…" I faltered.

"I was telling her that if I caught her sneaking around once again I would have to dock points from Gryffindor" he sneered. I silently thanked him for saving me and wondered why in the world Draco Malfoy of all people would help me.

"Oh shut up Malfoy. Annie come on let's get out of here," he said. Turning to walk away I looked over my shoulder and heard Draco tell James something that made James look like he was about to faint.

"He knows. Oh god. Athena he knows. He is going to tell. Oh my. Oh god." James spluttered. Not wanting to deal with him, I reassured him and then made my way into the common room and sat down next to Ginny.

"So Ginny, can you tell me a bit about Draco Malfoy?"

…

_Albus and Rose raced up the corridor and found they were looking at the stone gargoyle. _

"_Any idea of the password smarty pants?" Albus asked her. Shaking her head Rose looked at the gargoyle for a minute. _

"_Um, we um, really need to speak with Professor McGonagall. It is very urgent and well, we would appreciate if you could um, possibly let us in?" she asked the gargoyle. Suddenly the gargoyle leaped aside revealing the large winding staircase. Running up, Albus and Rose burst through the door to McGonagall's office to find him standing over a bowl filled with what looked like water. _

"_Professor McGonagall, we need to speak with you about something" Rose said loudly. _

"_Ms. Weasley, Mr. Potter. Does this by any chance concern Ms. Maxwell and Mr. Potter?" she asked. _

"_Well, yes but we haven't seen them in days! It's really been worrying us. We thought that they were just avoiding us but we have asked people and they said that they haven't seen them," Albus rambled. _

"_Mr. Potter, I am going to visit your father right now to see if he knows what is going on. I will also be visiting Ms. Maxwell's mother too. Thank you for your concern but I think that it would be best if you just kept this between you two, I'm sure everything is okay. Now, I'm going to write you late passes and you should be off," she said sternly. Exiting her office, Albus turned to Rose. _

"_I hope McGonagall is right…" Albus muttered. _

"_Yeah… me too."_

**A/N: I hope this is all making sense here. Please review and tell me what you think. I hope you like it! Next chapter will be up soon.**

**Thank you to:**

**graciegirl000, ****lilycullen1997, Mia Emerald, SilentStorm1999 and yellowbutterflys - for adding this story to their alerts.**

**Thank you to: **

**Mia Emerald and SilentStorm1999 for adding this story to their favorites.**

**Until next time :)**


	8. Ginny

Potter Manor

Year: 2020

Ginny Potter

_My oldest son is missing. Somewhere in time and I feel helpless. It's the worst feeling in the world. Where have they gone? What is he gets hurt? A million things race through my mind. Harry is pacing back and forth trying to figure out what to do. I have the worst thought and fear fills my head. What if Athena and James get hurt? What if they die, what if Voldemort gets to them. _

_What if Voldemort gets to them?_

**A/N: please review! **


	9. Minerva McGonagall

Professor McGonagall

6:23pm

Year, 2020

_ Minerva McGonagall watched as the two young children scampered away from her office whispering excessively. It was quite strange that the two children who needed to be watched the most had disappeared. She grabbed a quill and scribbled something to Neville asking him to be in charge of the school while she was away. Nodding at Albus, McGonagall turned on the spot and vanished. Arriving at a small house in Godric's Hollow she took a deep breath. Rapping on the door a petite Hannah Maxwell opened the door and rubbed her eyes. _

"_Hello Minerva, it's been a while!" she commented. _

"_I dare say! May I come in? It's quite urgent," McGonagall stepped over the doormat and took a seat in a sturdy wooden kitchen-chair. _

"_What is going on Minerva? Has Athena done something?" Hannah asked with a concerned look in her eyes. Grabbing two cups of tea she handed one to McGonagall._

_Muttering something to herself about finding Athena here she sipped her tea. _

"_I am visiting concerning Athena. Unfortunately she has not been seen around the castle for the past two days. I was hoping I would find her here. James Potter has also been missing. I am going to visit the Potter's as soon as we are done. You may come if you wish." McGonagall said slowly. A horrified look crept onto Hannah Maxwell's face._

"_What, how, I thought…" she spluttered. The horrified look was replaced with anger, and her lovely blue eyes flashed a violent shade of violet. "I thought Hogwarts is supposed to be __**safe**__." She emphasized the last word. McGonagall bowed her head in shame, particularly because she knew how dangerous losing Athena could be. _

"_It is, don't worry. I am sure we will find them soon. Now if you do not mind, unless you are not coming I say we go to the Potters." Minerva said brusquely. Nodding at each other they disapparated with a faint 'pop.' Hannah strode up to the door and knocked twice. A panic faced Ginny appeared and ushered Hannah and Minerva inside. They saw the angry figure of Harry Potter pacing around in the living room. _

"_Mrs. Potter? What is happening?" Minerva asked her. She couldn't take her eyes off of her former student. Taking a deep breath Ginny explained to them what happened with the time turner. Hannah's eyes watered at the thought of her daughter in an unknown time period. This was more serious than they could have ever imagined._

"_Mr. Potter may I have a word?" McGonagall says shortly. They exited the room and only the faint sound of whispers came from the stairwell. _

"_Headmistress, I will see if I can do anything to help. In the mean time, I must get going. I have to be at the ministry early tomorrow morning." Hannah spoke softly as the two adults re-entered the room. Harry looked strained and McGonagall gave her a small smile they watched the younger witch leave. Saying something about leaving for Hogwarts, Minerva took one last glance at Harry, and disapparated. _

**A/N: Well, the grownups know what is going on now! Hope you enjoyed! review please!**


	10. Immobulus

_~/~James~\~_

We had been stuck with my dad, mom, Hermione and Ron for almost a week and a half now. It was so weird. Everything about my father proceeds to bother me… he was just so abnormal. The other night he was thrashing around in his sleep crying out about Voldemort. He was acing Potions and had just gotten together with Ginny. None of them every questioned about Athena or me. They had just accepted who we said we were and did not go digging (which I was grateful for). I sat up in my bed; the sheets were crumpled at my feet. It was still dark out and I wished I could see Athena but the stupid stairs to the girls' dorms wouldn't let me. I had a crazy idea, but I had to know if he had it. Standing up I tiptoed my way towards my dad's trunk. Lighting my wand I pushed past a bunch of clothing that was crumpled at the top of the trunk. Digging around in there my hand brushed up against something that felt like a book. It was an old Potions book and opening the cover I found the words _Property of the Half-Blood Prince_ scrawled inside. Ignoring that, I dug around some more until I caught sight of a frayed edge sticking out a small side pocket of the trunk. Smiling, I pulled it out of the trunk and made my way back to my bed, careful not to wake anybody else in the room.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," I whispered and a red-tinged ink started filling up the parchment. Opening the map I saw Draco Malfoy pacing back and forth in the Slytherin dorm. Next to him was a bloke named Blaise Zabini who I didn't know. Folding up the map, I returned it back where I found it and laid down in my bed. I fell asleep that night with fitful dreams of Athena kissing Draco Malfoy.

0_-_Athena-_0_

The past few days have been a blur. Surprisingly enough 5th year classes are not that hard. I would have to talk to Headmistress McGonagall about skipping a year when I get back. _If you get back _that small voice in my head chided me. I knew we were going to get back; we HAD to. It would mess up time itself if we didn't. Trudging from History of Magic, I found James in the hallway.

"Ready to go to Potions?" he asks me. Nodding my head he puts his arm into mine and we make our way down to the Potions room. Upon entering, Snape gives us a scrutinizing glare and I pull my arm from James' as we sit down. I glare right back at him. He has no right to treat me like this, I never did anything wrong.

"Since you have your O.W.L.s this year" Snape drawled "today you will be brewing the Draught of Peace. You have one hour to do so." I raced to the cupboard to gather the ingredients while James heated up the cauldron. As I turned around I found myself face to face with the Potions master.

"You will stay after class if you know what is good for you" he growled in my ear before stepping aside. To be honest, I was slightly scared for myself. I mean, what the hell does the Potions master want with me? I honestly never did anything.

"What was that about?" James questioned. Tucking a stray piece of hair behind my ear I shrug my shoulders not wanting to give him anything else to worry about. James does most of the work partially because Potions is not my best subject. I watch as he twists his mouth in concentration. His almost six-foot frame makes me feel like a midget. Sometimes I wish I could hide away and not come out for eternity, just let nature take its course.

"Enough. Please bring a vial up to my desk before you exit" Professor Snape sneers at the class. As people begin to file out, I slowly pack up my things before motioning for James to go. Rolling his eyes he left without question. Running my hands along the wood table, I wait for Professor Snape to address me. I had one free period right now and I didn't want to spend it locked in the dungeons.

"Take out your wand." I looked at him incredulously.

"What?" I gasped.

"Do as I say." His voice became dangerously low and I took out my wand.

"Elm, 10 1/2 inches, phoenix tail feather… Interesting" he mutters.

"What do you want with me?" I snarl. I'm starting to get tired of this. He waves his wand and I can feel an invisible force wrap around us like a bubble.

"Wouldn't want anything to get broken" the greasy haired git chuckles and then he fires a spell at me. I put up a strong shield and rack my brains for something useful against the dueling/Potions master.

"_Diffindo"_ I say but with a lazy flick of his wand, he deflects the spell easily. This goes on for a few minutes. Suddenly I freeze. _Immobulus _I think. I should've known he would do this to me.

"Concentrate Ms. Maxwell. Maybe you will find it is easier to get out of this than you thought" he walks closer to me "do you know who you are?" Snape's voice softens and he delves into my mind. Memories flash by: fights with my mother, times with James, wondering who my father is, wondering, so much wondering. I'm still unable to move and there are tears streaming down my face. "Such a shame mummy hasn't told you yet. I will not say it again Ms. Maxwell, _concentrate._" Snape's hooked nose and greasy black hair piss me off so much. I don't know what he expects me to do. Closing my eyes I relax and think about releasing the spell. I can't deal with it any longer; it's making me angry. Slowly I feel the spell being lifted and I open my eyes. Snape is standing there looking shocked.

"Thank you," I sigh. I notice his wand on the table next to him. Surely he lifted that spell with wandless magic, it wasn't me. How could I have done that?

"Ms. Maxwell, as much as I would like to say you did not life that spell… you did. I am actually impressed." Who was this man and what happened to the mean old grease-git? "You have an impressive amount of magic within you. May I ask, who are your parents?" he questioned. I hesitated, why did this matter?

"I- I only know my mother. Her name is Hannah Maxwell. My father is well… Why does this even matter?" I put my defense back up because I see his eyes darken the second my last name is spoken.

"You are dismissed. Be here tomorrow evening at 8pm, we will discuss this more unless I say otherwise. Goodbye." He turned on his heel and strode into the little office near west side of the room. Running out of there as fast as I could, I thought about what just happened. I had undone a spell cast by the Potions master. It couldn't be. Running into the courtyard I looked around for James. A pair of strong hands wrapped themselves around my waist and the breeze rustled my hair.

"Hey" James breathed in my ear. Turning around I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and contemplated whether or not to tell him what just happened. "What did grease-git want?" I was going to tell him. He had a right to know and tomorrow I wanted him to come with me. Taking a deep breath I spilled the contents of the past thirty minutes of my life. James eyes widened when I told him that I lifted the spell by myself.

"I have to go back there tomorrow at 8:00. Will you come with me…please?" I asked.

"Of course," he looked at me with such fierce brown eyes that it made my heart melt. As I hugged him I spotted a head of bleach blonde hair staring at James and me.

"Excuse me a moment James," growling I stalk across the courtyard to where Draco is standing. I don't turn around to see the hurt look growing on James' face.

"Hello lovely Athena, what is that brings you into my presence?" he sneered. Snorting I pull him behind the wall to a place out-of-earshot.

"What are you playing at Draco? You've resorted to watching me and my boyfriend now?" my words are full of anger. His grey eyes flash with something that I don't know and I draw myself to my full height.

"I guess you don't want to know who the Headmaster and Snape are discussing right now… suit yourself!" he chuckled and started to walk away. My curiosity got the best of me and after glaring at him for a few minutes he walked over and told me to eavesdrop on Snape's office, just be careful. Grabbing James we set off without an explanation.

"Don't make any noise I tell him before we push ourselves against the wall trying to catch the conversation coming from the Potions room.

"Albus, she is related to him. She doesn't know it. I can't just let it go! She could kill someone." Snape's voice echoes throughout the hallway.

"Severus, if what you suspect is true then she will not be of any harm to anyone right now. She must not be told for I fear if she is then she will want to train." Dumbledore states concerned.

"What about Potter? Has his father told him yet? Albus, they will destroy everything if they are not told." I stare at James, his attention tuned into the conversation in front of us.

"You must find that out. She will bring Mr. Potter tomorrow, she is too wary without him. Do not harm them but teach them and Severus, _you must not tell them anything_."

**A/N: Long chapter yay! I hope this is all making sense. These secrets will be revealed soon. I promise :) **


	11. Family Trees and Feelings Galore

_~/~James~\~_

I had never felt so 'in the dark' in my entire life. After hearing the little conversation between Dumbledore and Snape we raced out of the dungeons. I felt so many things at once. Not checking to see if Athena was following or not, I ran to my spot by the Black Lake. Pulling my knees to my chest I stare out into the black water. There is something in my core, close to a boiling point. My stupid father never telling me anything whether or not it's about me, it made me so mad that I wanted to punch something. Taking out my wand I casted the _Confringo _spell repeatedly on a tree trunk that was laying ten feet away. It was as though my magic had taken over and I wanted to blast everything in sight. I stayed with the tree trunk and focused all my energy into making its life hell.

"James, give it up" Athena's voice penetrates through my thoughts and I swing my head to face her. Turning back around my gaze does not leave the lake; I can't bear to think about what could be wrong with me What if I am supposed to kill someone? I could never do that. Athena takes a seat next to me and I feel her slip her hand into mine.

"I know how you feel," she says softly. _I'm sure you do_ I want to say but my lips stay shut. "It sucks doesn't it? Hearing something and deeming it rubbish but you know it's not." She tries again. Athena just doesn't understand nor does she have a father who doesn't trust her. I know what my dad thinks of me, sure he loves me but I know deep down he doesn't trust me and thinks I'm too reckless. I don't want to fight with her about it. "You can tell me how you feel, I can handle it. I'm a big girl James, I've dealt with worse things" I hear her say.

"You know Athena, I feel so horrible. Like my dad has been keeping something huge from me. He knows something that will affect my life and he hasn't told me. I don't think he's told mum! How can I trust myself if my own father doesn't trust me? What happens if I do something stupid like Snape said? What happens if we do kill someone?" my voice is getting louder now. She shrinks back and I know I've hit home.

"We won't do anything, I know. We must go to Snape tomorrow it's the only way make sure!" Athena says. Nodding my head I pull her up from the ground and we walk back towards our dormitories. Trudging up the stairs I punch my pillow in anger, not realizing that Harry, Ron and Hermione are there.

"Parker mate, is everything okay?" Ron asks me. I stare at the redhead and my blood boils.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" my voice is shaking. Rolling his eyes he turns back to whatever book they were reading. Suddenly I feel the need to look up Athena's family. "Hermione" she looks up "if I wanted to find information about a persons family what section of the library would that be in?" I question.

"Well I would say if you were looking for Noble and Ancient families you would have to venture into the restricted section but any other families should be in the regular sections," she answers cheerfully. Thanking her I sprint to the library and pull the invisibility cloak out of my robe pocket. Throwing it over my head I go into the restricted section and look for the Malfoy's. If I were to find that she was related to him then that would mean that she and Scorpius are related! Thumbing through the pages I find the family tree: _Walburga Black, Orion Black, Sirius Black, Regulus Black _**relatives of**_ Cygnus Black, Druella Black, Bellatrix Black, Andromeda Black, Narcissa Black _**married to**_ Lucius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy _**relatives of **_Belarius Maxwell, Eudora Maxwell, Hannah Maxwell, and Blaise Maxwell_. This is just what I was hoping for. There was no way that she could kiss Draco if she found this out. It would probably be important for her to see whom she is related to.

"Sometimes it is best we stay away from information, no matter how much we yearn for it," Professor Dumbledore's voice sang out from behind me. Tearing off the invisibility cloak I turn to face him.

"Hello Professor, I was erm…" I trail off.

"You do not have to explain. I take it you heard my little conversation with Severus?" I nod "well, there is not much I can do. Although, I ask you must not tell this information to Miss Maxwell," Dumbledore spoke with such kindness but I knew he was not messing around.

"Why!" I couldn't help blurting out.

"Mister Potter, there are some things that even I myself do not understand. This, just so happens to be one of them. You and Miss Maxwell have extraordinary abilities that have not been revealed to you and that is a mystery to me. I am sure your parents are trying to protect you, and I daresay I know your father quite well. Having patience will be of great service to you right now. Do not rush things and you will find they run smoothly" Dumbledore smiled. Nodding I placed the book back on the shelf.

"Thank you Headmaster… I- I just don't want well… anything bad to happen. I'm scared to say the least," I confess.

"You have every right to feel frightened from something you do not know. Just remember that in times like these, there are always people who understand what you are going through. Now Mister Potter, I think it's high time you get some sleep! Have a good night," the headmaster winked at me before disappearing into the dark alley of the restricted section. He was referring to Athena and I knew it. I had been so awful. Sprinting out of the library I ran into the Gryffindor common trying to fix the giant mess I had gotten myself into.

**A/N: Big secrets are about to come out. James and Athena are heading into something they have no idea. I am twisting the plot slightly because I thought it was much better than what I was originally going to do. Please review and tell me what you think of this story! I really like reviews; they make me happy! Enjoy :)**


	12. Secrets

0_-_Athena-_0_

It was reaching 8:00 and James and I were getting nervous. Making our way down to the dungeons and I tried to prepare myself. We had no idea what was going to happen or what Snape would do. Walking through the door of the classroom we took seats in the second row of desks.

"Bloody hell Athena. What are we doing?" James mutters to me. I couldn't answer that because I honestly didn't know. Snape strolled into the classroom 5 seconds later with his wand drawn. I had a really bad feeling about this.

"Miss Maxwell, would you care to explain why you have brought along Mister Potter?" Snape drawled. My mouth opened to speak but I didn't have anything to say. "That is what I thought. Well, while he's here lets do some work shall we?" The question scared me almost as much as Snape does.

"Sir, what exactly are we going to do?" I heard myself asking. It's funny how my actions are not at all related. Narrowing his eyes Snape cast the bubble again. The only problem was that I wasn't in of it.

_~/~James~\~_

I saw the fear rise in Athena's eyes when I felt the enclosure form. I could tell she was on the outside because her hand wasn't able to penetrate through the enclosure.

"Now Mister Potter. Lets see what you know" I was challenged. I took out my wand and then suddenly I realized he was about to go through my head. He penetrated my thoughts, as I felt so helpless.

"Please Sir, stop," I begged him.

"Do you know?" Snape questioned me. His voice was dangerously low and Athena looked panic stricken.

"No." was my answer.

"_Expelliarmus"_ I felt my wand fly out of my hand. Anger seethed through me. How could a Professor sink this low? Disarming a student. I see why my dad hated Snape so much.

"I'm sure Mister Potter" he sneered at me "that you won't be needing your wand. Am I correct?" his voice dripping with malice.

_You mustn't let Athena know. Pretend to be helpless. _

"Well, I can't perform magic without my bloody wand" I play dumb. He obviously knew my secret. Nobody knew but me. It was something I had never told anybody.

"_Diffindo!" _I hear Athena say. The enclosure tears and she steps in. I'm impressed, that must have been a very powerful to penetrate something made by Snape.

"Professor, leave him alone. I don't understand. What have we done wrong?" she looked at me exasperated. Snape was going to tell. It was not the right time and Athena was going to hate me forever.

0_-_Athena-_0_

None of this made sense. Not one stinking bit of it. Snape knew something I didn't and he wouldn't tell me.

"I don't understand. Can someone please tell me what's going on?" I demand. James looked as white as a sheet.

"Why don't you ask your dear _boyfriend_" he smirked. Turning to James I looked at him expectantly. Snape had James' wand and there was nothing James could do about it. I felt bad for dragging him into this.

"What's going on?" my voice gets softer. His eyes water and I run over to give him a hug. "Please tell me," I whisper to him wishing that none of this had ever happened. I hear that grease-git sigh loudly. My blood boils to a point I can't even begin to explain. Raising my wand I point it at him and my breath becomes shallow. I've never attacked a teacher before and I didn't want to. Suddenly I felt ropes binding my body. They weren't bound to kill or maim just to trap me. Thrashing around I heard James roar in anger. I'd never heard such a terrifying sound in my entire existence.

"LET. HER. GO." It made my blood curdle. Then James sent a spell at Snape. One after the other as he attempted to free me. The ropes fell from my body and I stared at James and then Snape.

"You, you just did… what? No you couldn't have," I spluttered. My head spun and I felt James' strong grip steadying me.

"Wandless magic" James said simply. I couldn't process it. How could James Potter do wandless magic? It was something that even highly trained Aurors had trouble doing.

"My work here is done. Do not come back here tomorrow, there is no need. Goodnight" Snape strolled off leaving James and I in the dungeons. I couldn't wait to get back home. I missed my mum so much. 3 weeks in 1996 and I was ready to leave. Standing up I pulled grabbed James and we walked back to the common room in silence. I just can't believe he didn't tell me. It hurts so badly to think he wouldn't trust me with that secret. I was so upset that I just squeezed his hand before I went to bed. I couldn't muster any more energy to go along with that. The second my head hit the pillow I was asleep.

….

Awaking at 3:20am is certainly not the most pleasant thing. As I have done so many times before, I clambered down the stairs to the common room. Not finding anybody there I slipped out of the common room and made my way towards the headmasters office. I needed to ask him if he could get us home. I looked at the stone gargoyle and explain that I need to see Dumbledore for urgent reasons. Jumping aside, I find myself climbing up a long winding staircase. His office is wonderful. Sleeping pictures hung from the walls and a large globe sat in the center.

"Headmaster" I called out. My feet were freezing from not wearing socks or shoes of any kind. I couldn't risk the noise.

"Ah, Ms. Maxwell" what brings you here at this interesting hour?"

"Headmaster I must know. Can you get us back?"

**A/N: I'm not so sure about this chapter. It seemed a little bit bland to me. It needed to happen though. The whole story is going to get darker and every character will start to change. We have already found out that James can do Wandless magic? What's next! Reviews and story alerts make my day :)**


	13. Perspective Part 2

_Dear whoever,_

_I am sick and tired of this world. I want to go back to my time. I can't take Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron anymore. Even James is sick of his parents. I can't take them anymore and I can't take this life. I want my old life back. I want my Hogwarts back and most of all I want to see my mum. It's not fair that this happened. I would never tell anybody but I blame this all on James. No matter how amazing he is I still blame this on him. We wouldn't be stuck in 1996 if it weren't for that bloody time turner. My conversation with Dumbledore has been replaying in my head for the past week. He said he doesn't know if we could get back. I want out. I have said it already a million times. I want out. NOW. Bloody hell I'm so tired. I have learned much more about James and myself here than I have in the past year I've known him. That bloody git can do freaking wandless magic and he didn't tell me. He's better than me, and one day he will find someone who is smarter and prettier than I am. It is so stressful that I can't tell someone these things, not even James. He wouldn't understand. I don't think he knows how insecure I am sometimes. I don't know why I do this whole thing of writing letters to myself. Am I delusional? I've always thought journals were stupid so I'm just going to add this to the growing pile. __**Nerd**__. I know I am. Haha. I'm hilarious. When did I become so cynical? I think I used to be a nice girl, but I'm beginning to feel so cynical and misplaced. Maybe it was right that my mum kept me from Hogwarts. Why am I having doubts about Hogwarts? This is awful. I need to stop._

_A.M._

I stared at the parchment in my hands. Who was this girl? I didn't even know me anymore. It was true though, how much I hated 1996. There was darkness everywhere, and everything mattered. Every move I made, breath I breathed, word I spoke, it all mattered somehow. My biggest wish right now could've been that I was back at Hogwarts, the real Hogwarts - sitting in my dorm with Tess and Mabel. Tess would've been painting her nails or something and Mabel would've been curled up on her bed reading a book or doing homework. We might've been talking to each other about something that happened that day or gossiping about boys and teachers. We wouldn't have to worry about some dark wizard coming into our school. No worries about people finding out that we didn't belong. Nothing.

I kicked the cherry-wood bed with all my force, trying to get the frustration out. It didn't help and my foot was now sore and I was pretty sure the other girls had woken up. Limping to the bathroom I looked at myself in the mirror. Angry eyes stare back at me and my mouth is set in a thin line. I want to punch the mirror with all my might because of what I see. This is what has happened to me. I am no longer trustworthy; I am hiding everything and am a shell of who I used to be. It feels so awful and I hate everything right now. I want to leave. Instead of punching the mirror, I made my way down to the common room to look for James. The fire was low and rain pelted the stain glass windows. I didn't know what time it was, probably around 5:00am. My hair fell across my face as I climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Finding my way into James' room, I tiptoed towards his bed. It always baffled me how girls were permitted into the boys' dormitories but not vice versa. I stood over his sleeping form for a few minutes. He was so sweet and perfect, so where did all that power come from? Peeling back the covers, I crawled in and lay down next to him.

"Thee?" he mumbled sleepily. Burying my face in his chest, his arms wrapped around me and he pulled me close. I wanted this moment to last forever so I never had to get up. A kiss on the head was the last thing I remembered before falling asleep.

_~/~James~\~_

I awoke to find a sleeping Athena in my arms. I didn't really remember how she got there, but it made me feel better to know that she forgave me. She was so peaceful, her brown hair soft and long, brushing tickling my face. I hated myself for what I did. It never should have happened that way; it should have been cool and exciting. I had been practicing wandless magic for a long time, trying to figure out how I could do it in the first place. Not even my parents knew about it, nobody did. Home life was not everything people expected it to be because Harry and Ginny Potter weren't perfect. Dad was always so hard on me, telling me that I needed to be a better example for Lily and Albus. Mum just went along with whatever dad said. Everyone thought that we were the perfect family because of Harry Potter. Sure he is an Auror and killed Voldemort but that doesn't make him great. That's probably why that bloke Riley wanted to hurt me. Deep inside I knew that this distorted image of the Potter family was what drove me to learn wandless magic. Athena jerked me out of my thoughts when she started to stir beside me. It was hard to describe what I felt for her. She frustrated me so much yet I still cared immensely for this girl and I'd been with quite a few girls in my short life. Looking around to make sure nobody else was up, I whispered "morning Thee" and she smiled sleepily.

"Idontwannagetup" I heard her mumble from under the covers.

"You have to leave before Harry and Ron wake up" I told her. Nudging her up she looked so pale I was afraid I would break her.

"Nooooooo" she mumbled as I pulled the covers off. Picking her up, I carried her down the stairs and set her down on the couch. She really wasn't a morning person. Leaning down to kiss her she wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Well, good morning you two!" I heard Ginny say. Pulling away quickly I glanced at her sheepishly. "Don't mind me, get on with whatever" she grinned and trotted out of the common room. I looked back at Athena and saw her once again fast asleep. _Oh Athena sorry it had to come to this_ I thought.

"_Auguamenti"_

0_-_Athena-_0_

"WHAT THE HELL" I screamed as I felt myself being doused with water. Rubbing my eyes James' grinning face stood over me. "You bast-"

"Yeah, I know thanks" he laughed. Glaring at him I thought about my options. I could tackle him, run and get my wand and clean myself up or ask him to dry me off. Looking down at the couch I ran my hand over it and found the cushions to be soaking wet.

"Can you dry me off _please_… and don't forget the couch" I goaded him.

"_Scourgify,"_ he said and with a wave of his hand I was dry and the couch was spotless. Kissing him on the cheek, I ran back upstairs and got into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Grabbing my pink sweater and wand, I made my way back downstairs and waited for James so we could go to breakfast. Saturdays were the best, because we hadn't done our homework and were free from classes. Around 12:00 James and I found ourselves outside by the Black Lake. It never occurred to me that the girl who wrote that letter last night was me.

"James, why didn't you tell me?" I blurted out. His gaze drifted towards the lake but I didn't regret asking him.

"Just, because Athena. I didn't want to. Nobody knew, not even my family. I don't even understand why I can do it," he muttered. I was slightly confused, the Potter's seemed like such a happy family; how come he didn't tell anybody? Harry Potter was an Auror for God's sake!

"Oh" was all I said. It was February, and the weather was warm enough to wear shorts. It was weird. I couldn't believe we'd been here for 6 months already.

"I know what you think about me." I heard James say, breaking me out of my thoughts "that I'm a bastard for not telling, but you have to understand." He finished, looking at me with pleading eyes. It was hard to comprehend, keeping something so big from your family and girlfriend. I wondered what his home life was like, but I didn't dare ask.

"James, I don't think that don't worry. I wonder if Harry can do wandless magic. I mean, he was _The Chosen One_." I wondered aloud. Instantly James stiffened and I knew I had hit a sore spot. Suddenly I heard something behind me.

"Who's there?" James demanded, wand drawn. A branch crackled under my feet and I took a step closer to James. The figure stepped out of the shadows and I saw the faces of Harry, Ron and Hermione staring at us, wands drawn.

"_Who are you?" _Hermione said before I felt myself being pushed to the ground landing on my back, I looked up and never thought that Hermione Grangers face would scare me as much as it did.

**A/N: I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and it was longer than normal. I needed some Athena/James fluff because they were fighting. It was so cute and I couldn't not post it. Thank you to Lizaluvsdoggies for all your reviews! The next chapter is going to be epic, sorry about the cliffhanger but I just had to. It makes it so much more interesting! Everything will be revealed in time, just be patient please. I promise to have this story finished before I go away for three months on June 24****th****. Thanks for the reviews, they make my day (so do story alerts!) **


	14. Return

"Who. Are. You?" Harry said with more force. I glanced at James who was strangely calm. I would've thought he would be freaking out by now.

"You know me! My name is Annie, I've been here for six months now, that's Parker over there…" I trailed off.

"Liar" Ron said gruffly and yanked me off the ground his wand pointed at my chest.

"We heard you talking. Your name is Athena and your name is James" Harry said pointing to us. "How do you know so much about me?" he asked, his voice a little quieter. Rolling my eyes I struggled against Ron, which just made him grip me tighter.

"I'm not lying and my name is not James. I do not know what you are talking about" James said through gritted teeth. I knew that in one second he could blast these three idiots, although he didn't dare do it.

"Potter, why don't you leave them alone. They obviously don't want to be a part of your little trio," I heard the mocking tone that was Draco Malfoy. Silently thanking him, I willed for Ron to let go of my shoulder. I was losing circulation and getting quite annoyed.

"Shove off Malfoy," Ron muttered.

"Let us go, we haven't caused you any trouble," Harry was staring at us incredulously, and my blood turned cold. I never knew Harry to be like this and even if he did find out who we were, his memory obviously got erased.

"We can take them to Dumbledore, he'll know what to do," was what Harry said. We were trudging down the corridor, their wands pointed at our backs when we ran into an unexpected visitor.

"Is there something the matter, Potter?" Snape's voice echoed through the hallway.

"Yes _Sir,_ there actually is. I would rather take this to Dumbledore" he said through gritted teeth.

"Weasley, lower your wand. Ms. Carter and Mr. Anderson you will come with me," frostily he turned around and I glared at the trio. Grabbing James' hand, we walked down to the dungeons. My shoes scuffed the floor as I walked, echoing. It was just our luck that Harry, Ron and Hermione had found us out; they wouldn't rest until they dug their noses deeper into our business. They'd soon find out that James was Harry's son and that we were from the future. I stopped short in front of the door to the Potions classroom almost crashing through solid wood.

"Professor what _are_ we doing here?" I asked him. James fidgeted nervously beside me, continuously running his hand through his messy hair.

"Silence," his voice was rough and angry. "You don't understand what you could do, jeopardizing the future. How could you be so careless?" During the time that Snape was rambling James and I had been exchanging glances. Honestly, I wanted to leave as much as Snape wanted us to leave. "Ms. Maxwell, I see you have developed a relationship with Mr. Malfoy" he smirked. The heat rose to my face as I turned away from him, and felt James stiffen beside me.

"Sir, it's not like that. My question is how are we supposed to get back?"

"Well, the Headmaster ordered me to research and I think we have found a solution. It is a spell and a quite risky one too," he muttered. I heard James sigh the word _great_.

"Well Mr. Potter, I'm sure you have a solution that is most certainly better than mine," Snape snickered, silencing James. Beckoning for us to sit, we listened as he explained the procedure. It all sounded quite silly but hope fueled inside of me. The only part that made me nervous was the fact that we needed to give some of our blood. It was only a cut on the hand but it still made me squeamish. There was one more favour I had to ask of Snape, and then we would be out of his lives forever.

"Professor, there is one more thing that needs to be done before be depart. Harry, Ron, Hermione, McGonagall, everyone… they cannot remember us. It is vital to everything that they _do not_. Please, we need you to obliviate them." Nodding, I was pretty sure that he understood our reasoning. Mumbling something about not doing anything else, he set to work grabbing two vials. As instructed, I held my palm out and watched the blood well up onto my hand. The broken time turner sat on the table, it seemed to be mocking us. Letting a drop fall onto the turner, I watched it mix with James' blood. I felt sick. Burying my head into James' shoulder, I felt his hand stroking my hair. I couldn't wait for everything to be fixed. Life would be back to normal. My world would be normal again. Everything was happening in a blur, the chain was placed around our necks and spun back ten times. Tears blurred my vision and the last thing I remembered was Professor Dumbledore smiling at us with the twinkle in his eye that I would remember forever. Nobody ever knew. They never remembered. Snape did as we asked and to him, I was forever grateful. Hugging James, the blackness engulfed me and I remembered no more.

**A/N: I did not want to waste time going into the spells and stuff required to get them out of 1996. There is much more interesting stuff to come and a lot of confrontations to come. There will be a sequel! I promise! This story is not over yet! I am sorry I was gone for so long, I went away for the summer. I will be back and ready to update more frequently now! Reviews and story alerts make me so happy, thank you for reading!**


	15. Sacrifices

_St. Mungo's:  
><em>

I had no idea where I was, my head spun and there were wires attached to my arm. Fully opening my eyes, I saw a figure sitting in a chair next to me. _Where the heck am I?_ was the only thing I could think. Craning my neck, I saw the sleeping face of my mother. Her face was creased with worry and there were bags under her eyes. _Mum. Mum, mum, mum, mum._ My mother was there. That meant one thing. I was back home. My hand was bandaged and I remembered the cut on my hand, it seemed so meaningless now. Realization dawned that I was in St. Mungo's, where else?

"Mum," I tried to speak but only a whisper came out. "Mum," I tried again but there was nothing. There was water on the bedside table and I tried to reach for it. With a small crash the plastic cup hit the floor and my mum's eyes flew open.

"Oh my gosh. Athena? Sweetheart, you're awake!" she gushed. Smiling weakly, I managed to whisper a hello to her. Replacing the cup of water, she held it to my lips as I drank. The cold water ran down my throat and I could feel it settling into my stomach.

"Much better, thank you" my voice came out clear and strong.

"Oh my gosh, thank heavens you are alive. I thought I had lost you. Don't you ever do anything like that ever again. Where were you? We thought that you and James were _dead!_" her voice reduced so it was barely audible. _James._ Panic settled in my core. _James._ I blinked a few times trying to clear my head.

"Mum, I'm okay. I'm sorry! Where is James? _Is he okay?_" my voice rising an octave.

"Well Athena, you two were found on Harry and Ginny's property half drowned in the pond. You two were soaking wet and bleeding on your hands. We took you here straight away and you have been out for three days. I don't know if he is okay. He is as okay as you are." It sounded as though my mother was scolding me for something that I couldn't control. Rolling my eyes, I pulled the IV out of my hand and started for the door, my knee's almost giving way as I got out of bed. "Where are you going Athena?" she called after me.

"To see James."

"No, you are not. Get back here."

"I'm going to see James, where is he?"

"No. Get back here now."

"MUM! WHERE IS HE?" I screamed at her. It looked as though I slapped her across the face.

"Right across the hall" she mumbled and I stormed out of the room, not looking back. Opening the door to his room, I saw him lounging around with his parents looking at him sternly.

"Oops. Sorry. I'll be going" I looked down embarrassed.

"It's okay, my parents were just leaving now! Come on in Thee!" James said cheerfully and I closed the door behind me. From there, things just got awkward.

* * *

><p><em>Two weeks later<em>

We were sitting down in James' house with my mum, Harry and Ginny staring at us. We had just told them about going back in time and everything that happened. They were openmouthed and just all around shocked.

"Well, James you are most definitely grounded." Harry took no time at all to drop the bomb.

"Oh you too Athena. You are most definitely grounded." My mum said angrily. That crossed the line.

"How can _I _be _grounded!_ I didn't even do _anything._ James was the one who got the Time Turner. I was going to tell on him! It broke for heavens sake! We couldn't have done anything about it. IT BROKE! That is so not fair!" I fumed. James looked equally as pissed.

"Fine, but we have to have a little chat when we get home," she said. James just sat there and glared at his parents.

"James, you understand how incredibly irresponsible that was of you? Your brother was worried. He had no idea where you were. _We_ had no idea where you were. You could have been dead for all we knew. So you sir, better not give me any attitude about being grounded. No broom, no wand, no letters, no friends over, no sleepovers, nothing this summer. You lost those privileges the second you stole the time turner." Harry came down hard on James. I felt bad for him, I had never seen him at home with his parents and it seemed like they were very hard on him. Ginny didn't say anything except the fact of looking very disappointed. Hugging James, my mum and I disapparated home and I knew that the conversation was not going to be very happy...

* * *

><p>"Athena, I can't have you hanging around James if he gets you into this kind of trouble. This crossed the line. You could have been killed." I had been hearing this for the past 15 minutes we had been sitting in the living room. This was my mum's version of 'a talk.' Telling me I couldn't see the boy that I might possibly love. "You just can't see him anymore. I'm sorry." I had completely tuned her out by now. I didn't care what she said, I could still see James at school. We were in the same bloody house, how could we not!<p>

"Mum, you cannot stop me from seeing James," I snickered "we are in the same house after all. We eat meals together at school. We're a bloody couple!" she stopped pacing at this.

"Not after today."

"What?"

"Athena, you cannot see James anymore. I will not have you associating with someone who almost got you killed. I will not have this anymore. I say no." my throat started to tighten up. The world seemed to be falling in. This wasn't happening.

"You can't be serious mum. I can't break up with him." My heart was racing. This couldn't be happening.

"Yes you can and you will. As your mother, I am doing what is best for you. You will not see James anymore. _Do you understand?"_ I hated her. She couldn't be doing this. _No._

"What? Mum. Please! Stop this now. Please mum. NO! YOU CANT DO THIS TO ME. HE IS NOT BAD. WHY DO I HAVE TO DO THIS? WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS THE BEST THING FOR ME?" the tears started to roll down my face.

"Athena Eudora Maxwell, no NOT scream at me. We all make sacrifices in life," there was a cold distant look in her eyes as she said this "of all people I think I would know. I really wouldn't challenge me on that." Whirling around she left me in the living room, wondering how my world could crash in on me in mere seconds.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, I hope the end of that chapter was satisfactory. I am pretty sure nobody saw that coming. I didn't. It hit me as I was writing this chapter, maybe Hannah Maxwell isn't as nice as we all thought she was. Athena is quite an emotional wreck so how will she break up with James? Next chapter awaits you! Reviews and story alerts make my day! Thanks for reading!**


	16. Closure

I just didn't understand. It didn't make sense. I couldn't grasp it. Why would my mum want me to break up with James? It wasn't fair. I wish I could somehow contact James although I knew he was grounded and under lockdown. Creeping downstairs, I saw my mum sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea sitting next to her.

"Mum, can I talk to you please?" she looked up at me in surprise and put down the quill she was writing with. Sitting down at the table, an uncomfortable silence hung in the air.

"Athena –"

"Mum, I cannot break up with James," I blurted out. There, I had said it. I was not going to break up with James. There was no possible way that she could make me.

"Athena, you must understand. James almost got you killed. He was reckless, taking a time turner. I cannot bear the thought of losing you because some teenage boy got you killed. You are so young, why do you need to be with him? Maybe later, when you two are a bit more mature you can see if you can get together once again. For now, why don't you just focus on yourself a little more? Can you not see that he will eventually get you injured or worse killed?" every second that she was speaking, anger built up inside me. James was not a bad person; he would never deliberately get me hurt!

"No. I don't care what you think. I am not going to break up with him! And I will not apologize for how I feel! By the way, James would never, _ever_ try to hurt me." I spat. Sighing, my mum took a sip of tea. It irked me how calm she was after accusing James of trying to hurt me.

"Look, I'm sorry for saying that; of course James would never hurt you. Don't break up with him and do what you want. I am just warning you, when the time comes do not expect everything to be happy in the end. It rarely ever is." With that she kissed me on the head.

"Love you too mum," I muttered. Trudging up to my bedroom, I flopped down on my bed. This summer would go by too slowly for my liking. Somewhere in the back of my mind, the thought kept replaying over and over again.

If only dad were here.

**A/N: I needed some closure to their argument so I decided this would be a good place to end the story. There is a sequel coming up. I'm sorry if it is a bad ending, I did not really know how to end the story. There is the longing for her dad at the very end. I wonder how the 5****th**** year will go! Keep looking out for the sequel! Thank you for reading. Story alerts and reviews make my day :)**


	17. Authors Note!

**Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the story! I know I enjoyed writing it. The next story has already been started and it is called "Run." Very simple name, look for it on my profile. I hope you stick with me and continue to read the next story. If you alerted or reviewed, favourited or anything of that such thank you so much and I appreciate it! **

**- essence of your spark**


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